Fossil Fuels

Formation and Distribution

Fossil Fuels
Coal
Oil (Petroleum)
Natural Gas
Formation of Fossil Fuels
common conditions
High Organic Production
Burial of organic material
Reducing conditions little or no free oxygen
Reducing conditions preserve organic matter
Coal and Petroleum diverge from here
Formation of Coal
Accumulation of land plant material
Reducing conditions coastal and inland
swamps
Formation of Coal

Organic accumulation is
greater than destruction
(because of reducing
conditions)
Organic matter builds up
to form peat
Formation of Coal
Peat is compressed to form
lignite brown coal
Lignite is compressed and
volatile compounds are lost to
form bituminous coal soft
coal
Bituminous coal is further
compressed and heated to
form anthracite hard coal
Formation of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Accumulation of organic
material typically
marine mud
Burial and preservation
of organic material
reducing conditions
Reducing conditions in
deep sea or on
continental shelves
during times of unusual
oceanic circulation
Formation of Petroleum and
Natural Gas
Black, organic-rich mud is buried deeper and
converted to rock shale
With burial, the organic matter is heated
When heat is sufficient (but not too great) in
the range of 100-300 degrees C the organic
matter is cooked and oil forms
Process is called thermal maturation
Formation of Petroleum and
Natural Gas
If heat is greater than 300 degrees C, the liquid
petroleum is further broken down to form natural
gas
If heat is too great, even the natural gas is
broken down to form carbon dioxide, which has
no value as a fuel
Migration and Concentration
Petroleum must leave source rock
Process is called migration
Migration is essential because most source
rocks are too fine-grained to enable easy
extraction of the oil
To be economically concentrated, petroleum
must migrate to a reservoir rock with a trap
Examples of Petroleum Traps
Petroleum Resources
Conditions for source rock
are rare
Conditions for maturation
must be just right
Migration must not let
petroleum escape to
surface
Reservoir rock must be
present
Trap must exist before
migration occurs
Where did the U.S. Petroleum
Industry begin?
Right here in New York!
First gas well
Fredonia, New York
Distribution of Petroleum
Economic accumulations of petroleum only
occur when all of these conditions are met
These conditions and the sequence of
occurrence do not occur everywhere
Conditions are most likely where there are thick
accumulations of sedimentary rock in
sedimentary basins
Some of the worlds most
productive sedimentary basins
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Alaska north slope
Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast
Iraq and Iran
Mexico
Venezuela
Refining of Petroleum
Heat and/or chemical treatment to produce:
Gasoline
Diesel Fuel
Kerosene
Liquified Propane (LPG)
Petroleum bases for plastics